The Darach's Apprentice
by Shadowblade217
Summary: What if, after Matt Daehler died in Season 2, he was revived as a Darach by Jennifer Blake to help her pursue her vendetta against the Alpha pack? This story chronicles Matt's journey through darkness and revenge, and his eventual path of redemption.
1. Chapter 1: Resurrection

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf.**

_**The Darach's Apprentice**_

**Chapter 1 – Resurrection**

.

_**Matthew Daehler**_

Cold.

Coldness is the first sensation I feel. A coldness that penetrates so deep it feels like my bones are made of ice, that my blood is frozen solid in my veins, that my heart has frozen into a solid block of ice.

There is nothing, nothing in the universe, except the cold.

But then, slowly, other sensations begin to come to me, filling my mind as I achieve some form of consciousness, and I can "perceive" them, one by one.

_First, darkness._

It's darker than I've ever seen, darker than anything I could possibly have imagined, the darkness somehow making it even colder. I couldn't have seen a white sheet of paper if it was held against my face; there's no light whatsoever, not even a trace of anything that could allow vision.

_Second, silence._

Either my ears don't work here (wherever "here" is), or I'm the only person here, because I'm currently in the midst of the most profound silence I've ever heard. There is nothing; not the slightest sound. Not even the sound of my heartbeat, of my breathing, of blood running through my veins, of my muscles flexing and stirring.

Because none of those things are happening.

_Third, stillness._

I'm not moving; not a muscle, not a nerve impulse, not even a cell, is in motion. I am completely, utterly immobile. I imagine this is what it would feel like to be a statue.

I'm dimly aware that my endless silence and immobility are becoming a prison, one that I should be desperate to escape from, but I can't even feel fear; I am eternally apathetic, blind, deaf and numb to my surroundings, unable to accomplish anything.

_Fourth… light?_

Then I see it; a pinpoint of light, impossibly far away. As I watch, the light moves closer swiftly, increasing in brightness and radiance as it races towards me.

I'm level with it now, a vast wall of searing white light, rushing off to the horizon in all directions. I gaze upon it, unknowing, uncaring.

But I become curious, intrigued; I've retained the tiniest trace of identity, just enough to prompt my curiosity.

I reach out, and touch the light.

There is an explosion of pure white light, the brightest light I could possibly imagine.

_Fifth… memory._

And then it hits me with the force of a tidal wave.

Memories. _My_ memories.

A lifetime's worth; every memory I'd ever experienced in my entire life, compacted into an instant, all forced into my mind at once and replayed, from beginning to end.

I'm only able to catch momentary images, brief snatches of light and sound. But all those images are enough to tell the story.

My story.

_Childhood. Simple years, growing quickly._

_Then, the first darkness. Going to that party to meet a friend... being grabbed by an older boy, feeling the sick rush of terror._

_The fall, the stinging splash, thrashing desperately to stay on the surface, but sinking, inexorably dragged down._

_My first death._

_Then, after an instant of darkness, light again. The old man, Lahey, over me, yelling at me to stay quiet about this, to tell no one._

_Shifting again, growing old through the years, but always carrying that shadow over my soul, that memory of death, of darkness._

_Then, the most important memories since that black day._

_The Argents' funeral. Seeing Allison, smiling to myself. Seeing Lahey, feeling the hatred surging through me._

_Finding out, the next day, that he was dead._

_The night of the full moon, giving Jackson the video camera, seeing his body change and contort over the video feed, transforming into something monstrous._

_The Kanima's clawed hand, resting against the outside of the car window._

_My own hand, pressed against it through the glass._

_The bond, filling my mind, a surge of power, of electricity between our minds. The link between a Kanima and its master._

_Pictures. Taking pictures of each of my targets, each of the murderers who had killed me once. And then Jackson killing them, tearing them apart in my name, for my vengeance._

_Snuffing the life out of the one victim that Jackson hadn't been able to kill for me, suffocating her in the hospital._

_More deaths. More carnage, all for my sake. For my revenge._

_Suddenly, a flash of horror, as I realize that scales are growing on my left side, replacing the normal skin._

_The need, the desperation to find answers, to prevent this change from getting worse. To save myself._

_Finally, that final night._

_The party, feeling the horror as those kids tossed me into the pool, yelling that I can't swim, desperately thrashing in the water until Jackson grabs my arm and pulls me to safety._

_The police station._

_Taking McCall, Stilinski, Derek Hale, the sheriff, and McCall's mom hostage as I wait for the bestiary, the only way to find out what's happening to me._

_The station coming apart in a furious barrage of gunfire and tear gas._

_Running, fleeing the scene while Jackson holds off my pursuers._

_Then those final moments. Running across the bridge, and straight into that old man, Gerard Argent. His fist connecting with my face, knocking me to the ground._

_His hands, gripping my throat as he plunges me underwater, into the lake._

_Screaming in my mind, for Jackson, for _anyone_, to help me._

_Knowing, in my heart, that no one will answer._

_Gerard's face, glaring coldly down at me through the water, his face morphing back and forth from his own face to images of Lahey's face from my first death all those years ago._

_Unable to hold out any longer, letting the water fill my lungs._

_A moment of searing agony, worse than anything I could have ever imagined._

_Then, blackness._

_And then…_

I open my eyes.

Immediately, I suck in a deep breath of air, the deepest breath I've ever taken in my life, and then break down coughing. I roll over and retch, emptying my lungs of the water that pours out of my mouth. Slowly, gasping for air, I manage to sit up, but I feel extremely weak; I can barely support my weight.

I'm in a dark room, lying on a metal table under a spotlight. I glance slowly around the room, my breathing slowing as I regain control over my body.

I see a brief movement from the shadows and turn to face the source, trying to push myself upright and nearly falling over as my arm gives out, too weak to hold me up.

"Relax," a woman's voice says from the shadows. "Your body's still in shock, it'll take a while for you to recover. You're going to be very weak for some time; your muscles atrophied while you were in here."

I blink slowly, trying to wrap my mind around my current situation. I try to speak; my voice sounds hoarse and rasping, as if I haven't used it in a long time. "What… happened?"

"In layperson's terms, you died," the woman replies. "You drowned, and the police fished your body out of the lake and brought you here."

I glance around again, and this time I realize where I am; a dark, cold room with the walls lined with large drawers. A chill runs through me.

I am in a morgue.

"How… how am I alive?"

"Because I brought you back," the woman says, as if that should be obvious.

I rub my head, trying to focus. "Why… would you do that?"

"Because I needed help," she replies. "And because you have potential."

"Potential for what?"

"Power." The woman steps forward, out of the shadows, revealing herself. She's about my height, pale with shoulder-length curly black hair, and her eyes are cold. She walks slowly around the table, her eyes locked on me. "How would you like to have power beyond anything you could imagine? The power to crush anyone who opposes you, gain vengeance on anyone who has wronged you, make things right in your life… in the world?" She smiles. "I can give you that. The same power that I used to bring you back from the dead. You want vengeance. So do I."

"You?" I ask. "Vengeance for what?"

Her eyes narrow. "For _this_." And then she _changes_, her eyes glowing white as her hair disappears and her face distorts, hideous scars appearing, disfiguring her formerly beautiful face. I lurch backwards in shock. She remains motionless, letting me get a long look at her, and then the transformation happens in reverse as she returns to her original appearance.

"What the hell was that?" I whisper.

"That," she says, "is what was done to me many years ago. That's what I'm seeking vengeance for." Another ghostly smile crosses her face. "And I could use your help to do that."

"Who are you trying to get revenge against?" I ask.

"Werewolves," she replies. "A pack of them, far stronger and more vicious than the ones I know you've met. They did that to me, turned me into a monster and killed many others." Her eyes darken. "I'm going to kill them. And you're going to help me."

I blink. "And what if I say no?"

"Then I snap your neck and send you back to whatever afterlife you were living in before I brought you back. In your condition, you wouldn't have a chance of fighting back. But after we kill them, we can part ways, and you can live your new life however you want."

I consider for a moment, then nod. "Fair enough. All right, you've talked me into it. But I need to know exactly what we're going to do."

She smiles. "Oh, don't worry, I'll fill you in on the details."

I smile faintly and extend my hand. "Well, if we're going to be working together, we might as well be formally introduced. Matt Daehler."

"Yes, I know who you are," she replies with a smile as she shakes my hand. "Jennifer Blake. Pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise."

**AN: Hello, everyone, and welcome to my new story, **_**The Darach's Apprentice**_**! As you may have guessed, the basic opening point for this story is that after Matt died in Season 2, Jennifer (who, for the purposes of this story, was already in Beacon Hills at that time, observing the situation and establishing herself prior to applying for a teaching job at the high school) revived Matt, bringing him back to life as a Darach. This will, obviously, lead to events unfolding differently than they do in the canon series. How differently, you may ask? Well, you'll just have to wait and see.**

**As always, I welcome any questions or comments you may have, so please review. (No hate, please!)**

**See you all next time!**


	2. Chapter 2: Transformation

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf.**

**Chapter 2 – Transformation**

.

_**Matt**_

It takes a while for me to regain full muscle control, but within a few minutes, fortunately, I've recovered enough that I'm able to walk out of the morgue under my own power. Jennifer and I slip quietly out a side entrance and into her waiting car, and we drive off.

Over the next few days, I slowly grow accustomed to my new life. I'm a lot hungrier than I was before my death; I'm eating pretty much constantly. After a few days of this, I decide to ask Jennifer about it.

"Why can't I stop eating?" I ask, walking into the living room of her apartment and sitting down on the couch. She went to the trouble of getting an apartment with a spare bedroom, so at least I've had a bed to sleep on; that's done wonders to help me recover.

Jennifer, who's sitting in a chair near the lamp in the corner, looks up as I sit down. "It's because your body's still regenerating. While you were dead, you didn't decompose, fortunately, since you were frozen in the morgue, but you don't come back from something like that without a serious cost. That's why you've been sleeping so much, and why you can't stop eating when you're awake." She shrugs. "You're healing yourself. And it's more than that; you're evolving. You're not just returning to the way you were before; your body's still changing, becoming something more than human. That kind of power comes with a price. It'll be worth it in the end, but it's a slow process."

"Yeah, well, I hope you can afford my food bill until this 'process' tapers off," I mutter, biting into the apple I'm holding and slouching back onto the couch.

She chuckles. "Don't worry about it."

"Well, okay, then." I consider for a moment, then decide to ask her the question I've been waiting to ask ever since she told me why she needed my help. "So, since we've obviously got some time… tell me about these werewolves you want to kill."

A dark expression comes over Jennifer's face. "They're monsters," she says quietly. "Killers, murderers, all of them. They're the deadliest things I've ever seen. Trust me, nothing you've seen – normal werewolves, Kanimas, hunters – even comes close."

"What exactly makes them so dangerous?" I ask, taking another bite of the apple.

"They're Alphas."

I raise an eyebrow. "All of them? I thought there was only ever one Alpha in a werewolf pack."

"This pack's different. It's a pack comprised entirely of Alphas; each of them killed their own packs, and then they joined together to form a pack of their own. An Alpha pack."

I whistle. "Wow. So… do they have a leader? Some kind of super-Alpha?"

"Yes, they have a leader. He's called Deucalion. He's the strongest of them, so he's the one who makes the decisions."

I swear a chill runs through me when I hear that name. _Deucalion_. It's like I'm standing next to a block of ice, sucking all of the warmth out of the air around it.

"How many are there?"

"Five."

My eyes widen. _Five?_ "Do you know any of them besides the leader?"

"I know all of their names, and I know what they're capable of. Besides Deucalion, there's another man named Ennis; he's very strong, but he's basically a brawler, doesn't have too much fighting skill. There are two other males; they're teenagers, and they're also twins. Their names are Ethan and Aiden; individually, they're not as dangerous as the others, but they can merge together into a single giant Alpha with all of their combined power in one massive body."

"Yikes," I comment.

She pauses briefly. "And then there's a woman… Kali." She says the name with more venom than I heard her use for any of the other four, except perhaps Deucalion. "She's the most dangerous of the lot, probably, except for Deucalion. She's cunning, ruthless, and absolutely lethal, and she uses the claws on her feet as weapons as well as the ones on her hands."

My eyes have followed her throughout this description, and I've realized something. "This woman, Kali… she's the one who did this to you, isn't she?"

Jennifer's head snaps around. "What?"

"The way you talk about her, it's like you hate her most out of the lot; and you did say one of them nearly killed you, turned you into a monster… it was her, wasn't it?"

She actually looks surprised; clearly, she wasn't expecting me to put the pieces together that easily. After a few seconds, she nods. "Yes," she whispers. "Yes, it was."

I nod slowly. "Okay, so let me get this straight. Your enemy is a pack of five Alpha werewolves, all of which are brutal killers… and you're planning to go up against them with just the two of us?"

"We'll be stronger than they are, if my plan works."

"What kind of plan is that?" I counter. "You still haven't filled me in on the details."

She nods, a grim expression on her face. "Well, in that case, let me clue you in. You need to know this, anyway."

Jennifer sits up in the chair, her eyes locked on mine and her expression intense. "Okay, here's how this is going to work. First, I'm going to train you to develop and master your powers. Once that's done, we can get on with the real plan."

I nod. "All right, then. What's the 'real plan'?"

"If we're going to become stronger than the Alphas, we're going to need power. More power than we could ever achieve on our own. And I know how we can get it."

"How?" I ask.

"Well, as you know, I'm a Darach… well, we both are, now, but that's beside the point. A Darach is a 'dark form' of a Druid, a figure from Celtic mythology. A Darach gains power by carrying out an ancient ritual. A dark one, but a necessary one."

"What ritual?"

"It's not going to sound pleasant, Matt. But if we're going to get enough power to defeat them, it's the only way."

"_What ritual?_" I demand, straightening up.

She gazes evenly back at me. "We have to commit sacrifices. _Human_ sacrifices."

I suddenly feel like there are ice cubes in my guts. I briefly feel nauseous. I've killed people before, both through Jackson and with my own hands, but that was either for revenge against the people who once killed me or for my own survival. This, on the other hand… this is a completely different level.

"You're… you're serious? We have to kill people? We commit murder to get stronger? That's your big plan?"

"It's the only way," Jennifer says matter-of-factly.

I consider. On one hand, the idea of butchering innocents who have done nothing to me for the sake of making myself stronger is repulsive to me. But, as much as I dislike the idea, it makes sense. Ancient cultures often committed human sacrifices as a prelude to battle, to wish their warriors good fortune and give them strength. This was the same principle, except that we actually _would_ be making ourselves stronger.

After a few moments, I decide that there's no point in disagreeing; if this is our only way of beating these Alphas, then so be it. "How many people would we have to…"

"Fifteen."

I shoot bolt upright, my previous acceptance going straight out the window. "_Fifteen?!_ Are you kidding me?! There's no way we could commit fifteen murders in this town without getting caught, let alone fifteen sacrificial executions!"

"You're forgetting; how exactly are they going to catch us, Matt? The police department in this town is completely inadequate; you proved that with your little rampage a few weeks ago. There's no way they'll suspect me, and legally, you're dead, so they'll hardly be looking for you."

A faint smirk comes to her face. "And besides, we won't look like ourselves when we're making the sacrifices, anyway."

"What are you talking about?"

She smiles, and then the expression turns hideous as she transforms to the disfigured, horribly scarred version of her face, her eyes glowing white. I flinch backwards involuntarily, falling back onto the couch, my eyes widening as I let out a gasp. Then the change happens in reverse as she swiftly changes back to normal.

"Right… right." I manage to relax, breathing deeply. "Okay, you've made your point. They're not going to realize it's _you_, but what about me? I can't do that."

"Actually, you can," she replies, "or, at the very least, you can do something similar. That's how being a Darach works. You can transform, just like I can. You just haven't been able to do it yet, because you haven't tried." She narrows her eyes thoughtfully. "Actually, I think that should be your first lesson. Get up."

I stand up reluctantly, finishing the last of the apple as I do; I cross the room and toss the core into the trash, then wash my hands off in the sink and return to the living room. "All right, I'm ready. How do I do this?"

"Close your eyes and concentrate on your inner self," Jennifer says. I close my eyes and concentrate, focusing only on my own body and the sound of her voice. Nothing else exists for me, in this moment.

"Take slow, deep breaths. Breathe in through your nose, out through your mouth. Stay as calm as possible," Jennifer instructs softly.

I breathe in deeply through my nose, exhaling through my mouth. I keep my eyes closed, feeling my body relax.

"Don't try to force it; just let your energy be there, flowing through you. Now, look into your mind, and it should be obvious. For me, it felt like a cold spot, a block of ice within my mind; that's what helped me find it. I'm not sure if it'll be the same for you, but try to look for anything unusual."

Nodding slowly, I reach into my mind, searching through my thoughts, trying to quiet my mind's normal chatter. Gently, the torrent of thoughts ebbs, and silence overtakes me.

Then, almost without trying, I feel it.

It "feels" exactly like she'd said it would; like a ball of ice, resting in the core of my mind, something that was definitely not there in my previous life. In my mind's eye, it is glowing with a pale white aura, illuminating it for me.

"I see it," I say softly, my voice a whisper.

"Good. Now reach out, grasp it and pull it to the surface. Smoothly; don't force it to move, it'll surface when you let it. Stay relaxed."

Mentally, I establish a grip on the object, seize it solidly in my mind, and pull it smoothly to the surface, hauling it out of my subconscious.

I feel an unexpected surge of power, invigorating, like a surge of heat running down my spine, strength beyond anything I could have expected coursing through my body. It feels like my muscles, which were still fairly weak moments earlier, are now made of steel, flexing and coiling beneath my skin. I feel a strange, wrenching tug at my head, and something brushes my shoulders… hair? _My hair isn't that long…_ I don't have time to worry about that, because more power is now surging through me, more than I had thought it was possible for me, a simple human teenager, to ever possess.

And then, with a final surge of power, it is done. My change is complete. I have transformed.

I open my eyes.

"Impressive…" Jennifer breathes, circling me. I look around, scanning the room, and realize that my senses have been enhanced as well; colors seem brighter, shapes more clearly defined, and sounds that were faint before as now crystal-clear to me.

"It worked, I'm guessing?" I'm surprised by the sound of my voice; it sounds deeper and harsher than normal and has a rasping tone to it.

Jennifer smirks. "Indeed it did," she confirms. "Take a look." She gestures to a full-length mirror set into one wall of the living room, a design addition I've never really understood. I walk forward, into view of the mirror, and gasp in shock.

I've transformed, that much is for sure. I'm almost completely unrecognizable; my normal features are now vastly altered. My skin, which normally has, at the very least, a somewhat decent tan, is now as pale as a dead fish. It's almost translucent; all of the blood vessels close to the skin are clearly visible and have become more prominent, outlining a complex blue pattern under my skin that vaguely resembles circuitry in a machine. My hair, which was previously short and dark brown, has grown out; it now hangs to my shoulders, and has turned pure white. In addition to this, it has risen, lifted up around my head and seemingly stretched out in all directions, and swirls gently in the air as if I was underwater. My face is distorted, my skin translucent enough to partially show the bones of my skull under it, as if my face has become half-skeletal, and my eyes are glowing white, exactly like Jennifer's in her transformed state.

It's never been more clear to me that, although I look like an average teenager most of the time, I am no longer human.

I am a Darach.

And personally, I've never felt better. Never felt more alive.

I turn to Jennifer slowly. "What now?"

She answers by transforming herself, her eyes glowing white as her long black hair disappears and her beautiful face is disfigured by horrific scars – scars, I now realize, that were inflicted by the claws of an Alpha werewolf. I turn and look into the full-length mirror across the room, gazing at the reflection of the two of us, each of us in our full Darach form, utterly terrifying.

"Now," she answers, her normal voice twisted, deep and rasping, almost completely unrecognizable, "we can start your real training." A hideous smile crosses her face, making her ravaged visage even more horrible to look at. "Shall we begin?"

I let a smirk cross my own face, my eyes locked on hers. "Absolutely."

**AN: To everyone reading this, thank you for reading the new chapter of **_**The Darach's Apprentice!**_** Sorry it took me so long to update this story, I've been extremely busy with college applications and schoolwork. I'll update as often as I can.**

**I hope you enjoyed the interaction between Matt and Jennifer in this chapter; personally, I love writing the dialogue between the two of them. I also hope you enjoyed the description of Matt's new Darach form; I designed it to fit the theory that a Darach's transformed state reflects the circumstances of how they died. Jennifer was slashed to pieces by Kali and left for dead, so her Darach form is hideously disfigured and covered in scars. Matt, on the other hand, was drowned by Gerard, so his Darach form seems more appropriate for a drowning victim; his skin has become translucent, revealing the blood vessels in his torso and arms (which have turned a brighter blue than normal), as well as the bones of his skull, and he has the same glowing white eyes as Jennifer. His hair, meanwhile, has grown longer and turned white, and is now lifted up and "floating" around his head, just as it would be if he was underwater.**

**If anyone's worried that the story is a bit slow, don't worry, we'll be into the events of Season 3 soon, and then things will really start getting interesting. ;)**

**Shout-outs to ElenaxoxoSilber and Michael for reviewing, I really appreciate the feedback!**

**As always, if anyone has any comments or questions regarding the chapter or the story as a whole, please review! (No hate, please).**

**See you next time!**

**Review Q&A:**

**Q: Omg this seems sooooo good! I can't wait for more! :D They'd be so good as working together!**

**A: Yeah, I figured that they both have very similar goals and use similar methods to accomplish them (they both want to kill people who nearly killed them, they were both innocent originally but were transformed into villains by their near-death experiences, they both use supernatural methods to become more powerful – Matt uses the Kanima, Jennifer uses the sacrifices – so I got to wondering; what would happen if they met somehow? Jennifer was able to bring herself back from the dead, so I wondered how things would be different if she had brought Matt back to life after Gerard killed him, and this story was born! :)**

**Q: Dude, one of the best storylines ever. Keep up the good work. :))))**

**A: Thanks, I appreciate the compliment. :) Trust me, I've got an excellent story planned; everyone will most likely be surprised by how Matt's involvement as a Darach will change things later on in the season. Stay tuned!**


	3. Chapter 3: Illusion

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf.**

**Chapter 3 – Illusion**

.

_**Matt**_

For the next three months, I throw myself into my training. I'm exhausted every night; I'd thought that, since I've spent years playing lacrosse, I'd be used to physical exertion by now, but that has nothing on training with Jennifer.

At first we take it easy, allowing my body to fully recover. But once I've fully gotten over the side effects of coming back from the dead, I'm able to start my real training. I improve so rapidly it's amazing. My muscles, which felt like rubber when I was first resurrected, now feel like they're ten times stronger than they were before my death. When I look at myself in the full-length mirror in my room, it looks like someone put on body armor under my skin. My power has increased too; when I first discovered my Darach abilities, I could barely make a spoon move from an arm's length away. By the end of the summer, I've developed my abilities to the point where I can make a locked door unlock itself and swing open from the other side of the room… or send a person flying across a room without touching them.

Jennifer has been very impressed with my progress, despite the fact that, even after all of my progress, she's still stronger than me. Only a few of our practice sparring matches have ended with me winning, and that was always through me getting lucky rather than through an advantage in power.

I've been able to refine my transformation; I can now shift into my full Darach form and back at will, and I've found that my power is even stronger in my transformed state. According to Jennifer, I should be able to beat at least one of the Alpha werewolves she's been talking about, and I could take down multiple Betas easily.

We haven't made any sacrifices yet; Jennifer wants to wait until we're both ready. I'm familiar with the ritual by this point, though. We have to make fifteen sacrifices, three for each of five categories: virgins, warriors, healers, philosophers and guardians. They have to be killed using an ancient method known as the Threefold Death; strangling with a garrote, slashing a throat, and crushing the skull. I'm still not sure how exactly that's supposed to make us stronger, but Jennifer seems very certain that it will.

Jennifer's going to be teaching at Beacon Hills High School when the semester starts; she says it's a good way to blend in and keep an eye on as many people as possible. I can see the merit in that; what I _do_ have a problem with is the other half of her plan.

"Are you out of your mind?!" I demand, pacing the living room of our apartment. "You want me to go back to school? What kind of plan is that?"

Jennifer looks up calmly from the chair in the corner. "It's going to work."

"_How_ is it going to work?! People are going to recognize me instantly! My face was plastered all over the news as a serial killer! _And_ I'm supposed to be dead!"

"It's going to work," Jennifer says, smiling faintly, "because you're not going to look like yourself."

That one stops me cold, cutting me off in the middle of my rant. I turn, looking at her curiously. "What do you mean? You're… you're going to make me look like someone else? You can do that?"

"I can do that," she replies, grinning.

Now I'm intrigued; I sit down across from her. "You mean, I'll look like another person?"

"Not quite. It's a simple illusion; it'll change your external appearance, but it's like a shell, a façade over your normal body. It won't take any energy to use it; y6ou can make it dissipate with a thought, and reform it just as quickly. But it has limits. It'll only work on humans, not on supernatural creatures. So I'll be able to see your normal appearance; so will the werewolves."

"So McCall and the rest of his little pack will know who I really am?" I ask, shaking my head. "That won't go well."

"You don't have anything to fear from them any more," Jennifer replies. A ghostly grin crosses her face. "Remember?"

I nod slowly. "Right." A faint grin begins to materialize on my face. "Sounds almost… fun."

She smirks. "Looking forward to it now?"

"The looks on their faces, you mean?" I chuckle. "Definitely."

Jennifer stands and walks across to me. "Okay, here… let me put the illusion up. It'll feel unusual, but it won't have any harmful side effects." She holds both of her hands over my head, fingers splayed wide and curved. She begins to whisper, the words too soft for me to tell what she's saying. The air around me begins to ripple slowly, like a heat haze. Tendrils of light begin wrapping themselves around me like a cocoon, shrouding me. My vision blurs for a second, replaced by flashes of multicolored light, as if my vision is a television screen that has developed bad reception. I blink, and it suddenly clears. I feel something click into place, like a second skin over my own.

I stand, looking around. I hold up my hands, flexing my fingers and examining each of them. They look the same, but there's something… different about them.

I look up at Jennifer inquisitively. She smiles. "Look in the mirror."

I cross to the mirror and look at my reflection in it. It's my face, but when I blink, it changes; my hair is darker and spiked up, my blue eyes have turned dark brown, and my face has become slimmer. My muscles are less clearly defined than they were before, although I know they're just as powerful, and I'm at least two inches taller. I smile, the expression a completely different look on this face. "Interesting." My voice sounds different too, higher-pitched and softer than normal.

"I thought so too," Jennifer says, chuckling. "Now that I've enabled it, you can control it yourself. Try removing the illusion and then putting it back up. Just imagine that the second skin around you falls away, then pull it back into place."

I nod, focusing on my face in the mirror and concentrating on the illusion surrounding me, imagine the façade peeling away and dissolving. I blink, and the illusion vanishes. My face is back to normal.

"Now put it back up," Jennifer instructs.

I narrow my eyes, summoning the second skin back to myself. It fits back into place, covering my face like Saran Wrap, molding itself to my features. I blink again, and the illusion is back. I grin. "Not bad." With another blink, the illusion dematerializes, and I turn to face Jennifer. "But I like my own face better."

Jennifer smiles. "So modest. Make sure you keep practicing until it's time to start at school."

"Will do." I grin back at her. "This is going to be fun."

She nods. "Yes, I know. But be careful, Matt; no one can know you're working with me until the time is right. We both need to blend in as much as possible."

I sigh. "All right, all right. Relax, Jennifer. I'll be fine."

.

The next week passes in a blur. Jennifer and I prepare for school; Jennifer settles into her official teaching position, while I master the illusion trick and become accustomed to using it in public. I can change my appearance quickly and effortlessly, with no energy expended in the process. I've been able to hone my powers, and I'm ready for the challenges that being in close proximity to McCall and the others will undoubtedly bring. We've also selected a cover identity for me; my fake name is Michael Daniels. Jennifer suggested it; she sees it as an inside joke or sorts, since her alias is Jennifer Blake, while her real name, apparently, is Julia Baccari. The "joke" lies in the fact that both of our aliases have the same initials as our real names.

I arrive at school early, hopping out of my car – a gift from Jennifer – and glancing around. I'm wearing my second skin, so I'm completely unrecognizable to any of my former friends who might see me… except for McCall, Isaac, and the other werewolves, of course. They'll know who I am.

And that notion actually pleases me. Because I'm looking forward to their reactions when they find out I'm alive. Actually, I can't wait.

I look around again, smile to myself, and walk confidently into school.

It's time for my debut.

**AN: Sorry, this chapter is pretty short, but I needed to end it at the right place. Next chapter, Matt goes back to school, and his return has immediate effects on his fellow classmates.**

**Also, if anyone is wondering, Matt's false appearance, the illusion that he conjures to change his face, looks like Steven R. McQueen, who plays Jeremy Gilbert on **_**The Vampire Diaries**_**. His voice is also the same as that actor's when he is using the illusion.**

**Again, thanks to everyone who has viewed this story, and if anyone has any questions or comments about the story, please review. (No hate, please).**

**And finally, I'm pleased to announce that I have also published the first chapter of my latest story, **_**Angels in the Shadows**_**! It's a crossover story between **_**Teen Wolf**_** and **_**Doctor Who**_**, which features the Weeping Angels arriving in Beacon Hills and wreaking havoc, forcing the Eleventh Doctor and Clara Oswald to team up with the **_**Teen Wolf**_** gang to stop them. The story's first chapter is up on my profile, so feel free to check it out.**

**See you next time!**


	4. Chapter 4: Reactions

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf.**

**Chapter 4 – Reactions**

.

_**Matt**_

I walk confidently into the school, glancing around as I stroll down the hallway. My new look – a black leather jacket, blue jeans, a white T-shirt and black shoes – combined with my second skin, means that no one around me has any idea who I am. And personally, that suits me just fine. I've found that I actually like the anonymity that my second skin grants me. Thanks to this illusion, I've been able to travel all over town, and no one I've seen has had the slightest clue that this isn't my real face.

I've been careful to avoid McCall and the rest of his werewolf friends, of course; they're the only ones who can see through my second skin, so that makes them a problem. Now, though, I'm finally ready to face them. In fact, I'm relishing the prospect.

First period goes by quickly; I don't see anyone I recognize, I'm introduced to the class as Michael Daniels, from Los Angeles, and I breeze through the class without any problems. Second period, I know, is Jennifer's class, English. She received the pupil list before school started, so I already know that several people I know personally will be in her class; McCall, Stiles, Lydia, and Allison. Lydia I really don't care about seeing; I have no interest in her, and never really did. Stiles was only ever an irritant, and now that I know I can crush his skull like an eggshell using only my mind, I don't really care about him. Plus, thanks to my second skin, neither of them will have any idea who I really am; McCall, being a werewolf, will know instantly. He'll probably try to tell them, of course, but I doubt they'd believe him, at least not at first.

That leaves the fourth one; Allison. Last year, my obsession with her bordered on the sociopathic, and played a significant role in getting me killed; if I hadn't stopped to talk to her in the station, Gerard wouldn't have caught me by the lake, and I would have survived that night. But ever since I was resurrected, that obsession, that burning fixation on her, has faded. As a Darach, I don't particularly care about that sort of thing; I'm not human, and I'm not going to act like it. The way I felt about Allison was childish, and, I now realize, completely unnecessary. There's no way she would ever have felt that way about me, and I'm now so far above her that it's ridiculous. She's an insect to me now, and I won't be affording her any more attention than I would for one… although I'd have no problem with crushing her like one if she gets in my way. That thought brings a faint, cold smile to my face, but I'm shaken out of my reverie by a collision with another student, a guy about my age with short dark hair.

"Oh, sorry, man," I apologize, stepping back.

"No problem," the guy says with an easy smile. Now I recognize him; it's Danny Mahealani, one of my old friends from the lacrosse team. He and I worked together last year to repair the videotape showing footage of Jackson's first Kanima transformation. Of course, I'd been the one who deleted the footage in the first place, and I'd later had to send Jackson after him and have Jackson paralyze him so I could steal the remaining footage back, but who cares about technicalities?

"Are you new here?" Danny asks. "I haven't seen you around here before."

"Michael," I say, shaking his hand. "I moved here from Los Angeles over the summer."

"Really? Wow," Danny says, smiling in a friendly way as he nods to me. "I'm Danny. Sorry, I'd love to show you around the school, but I need to get to class. Nice meeting you."

"Thanks, you too," I reply, grinning as Danny walks off down the hallway. I can't believe how well this second skin works; it's like I'm actually a different person. I've known Danny for years, and he had no idea who I really was. It took me some time to get used to the way my voice changes when I use it, but I've grown accustomed to it.

I chuckle as I walk up to the door of Jennifer's classroom. I know everyone else is inside, but the bell hasn't rung yet.

_It's time._

I step forward, push open the door, and walk inside.

.

_Several minutes earlier…_

_**Scott McCall**_

I lean back in the desk and glance around the room, looking for any sign of Allison. Not yet. I sigh and slump again, lowering my head.

I find it hard to believe that we're actually back in school. It seems almost surreal that things are finally mostly normal again. Well, except for the suicidal deer that had rammed into Lydia's car the previous night, but other than that everything is surprisingly ordinary.

Finally, I see her; Allison, walking in through the door of the classroom, looking breathtakingly beautiful. I smile, my entire face lighting up as I see her. Last night was too panicked and rushed to actually look at her, but now I can see her in perfect clarity. I know I'm grinning like an idiot, but I don't really care.

Allison looks around the room for a moment, clearly looking for an empty seat. Then she starts walking straight towards me, and I glance over my shoulder to realize that the desk behind me is empty.

_Yes!_ I yell inwardly, but manage to restrain myself on the outside.

Allison walks up to me and looks at me for a moment, hesitating. She indicates the seat behind me with one hand. "Is… is anyone–"

"No! No, no, no. It's all you – all yours – uh, it's totally vacant." Inwardly, I groan and smack myself on the forehead, but I manage to avoid doing that outwardly. _Seriously? How stupid can you get?_

Still, it seems to work, because Alison smiles faintly, walks past me and sits down at the desk behind me. I look forward so she won't see the huge grin on my face. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the door of the classroom open. A young man wearing a black leather jacket walks in. I look over at him–

And freeze in my tracks, with a feeling as if my blood has turned to ice rippling through me. Shock immobilizes me as I stare, horrified, at the entrance to the classroom.

Standing in the doorway, looking around with a smile on his face, is Matt Daehler.

I'm pretty sure my heart stops.

I stare at him, my heart pounding. There's no doubt in my mind; I'd recognize his face anywhere. The cold blue eyes, short brown hair, and that cruel, knowing smirk are unmistakable. He's somewhat different, though; his muscles have grown, bulging under his shirt and jacket like cables under his skin. It's not extremely exaggerated, but he's definitely a _lot_ more muscular than he was when I last saw him. I can still remember that night at the police station with perfect clarity, when he'd put a bullet in my chest and tried to kill everyone I cared about. That Matt was athletic, but not what someone would call _muscular_; this Matt has the equivalent build of a professional football player.

But… Matt's dead. Gerard killed him, drowned him in the lake. I saw his body myself.

He's _dead!_

So how is he standing in the classroom, right in front of me? And how is nobody else reacting to this?!

I can't look away; my eyes are fixed on Matt, my hands shaking. Matt turns, scanning the classroom casually. Then his eyes come to rest on me, and the grin on his face widens.

And then he _winks_.

I let out an involuntary growl before I can stop myself, my hands clenching into fists. Matt's smirk gets even wider, and he turns and walks over to an empty seat in the front row, sitting down and leaning back.

I turn to Stiles and grab his arm, pulling him towards me.

"Whoa!" he hisses. "What? What's up?" He notices the expression on my face, and sees that my hands are shaking, and his expression hardens. "What's wrong?"

I gesture back over my shoulder, jerking my head fractionally towards where Matt is sitting. "Behind me," I growl. "Front row, third to the left from the wall."

Stiles looks over my shoulder, and counts off three seats… but instead of the shock and horror I expect, all I see on his face is a vague expression of confusion. "Him?" He points, and I turn to see that he's pointing at Matt. I nod, not sure why Stiles isn't freaking out. Stiles looks back to me. "New guy?" His eyes narrow. "What's wrong with him? Is he…" He trails off meaningfully.

I stare at him, uncomprehendingly. How could he not recognize Matt? I lean in close, hissing into his ear. "Stiles – that's _Matt._"

He looks at me with an astonished expression on his face, then looks back at Matt. "No, it's not. I know what Matt looked like, and… sorry, but that guy doesn't look anything like him. You sure you're okay, Scott?"

Getting increasingly freaked out, I frantically look back at Matt, then to Stiles again. "Stiles, are you seriously telling me you don't see Matt sitting in that desk?"

Stiles looks at me, his expression still confused. "No; I see some guy I've never seen before. We're talking about the same guy, right? Leather jacket, tan, black hair spiked up in the front, brown eyes?"

I stare at him, astonished. What is he talking about? "Stiles, that's not what I see. I see Matt. Leather jacket, pale, brown hair, blue eyes."

He stares at me for a moment. "You're serious?"

"_Yes!_" I snap, as quietly as possible.

"Well, then why do I see a completely different guy–"

Stiles is interrupted by the sound of phones buzzing; every cell phone in the class has just received a text. I pick up mine and look at the screen. The text is from a number I don't recognize. The message itself seems like some kind of quote. As I start to read it, I hear a voice speaking, reading it aloud.

"'The offing was barred by a black bank of clouds and the tranquil waterway, leading to the uttermost ends of the earth flowed somber over an overcast sky, seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness.'" A young woman, obviously the new English teacher, walks into the room, reading from her own cell phone's screen. She looks up and nods, holding up the phone. "This is the last line to the first book we're going to read. It is also the last text you will receive in this class." She held up her phone, clearly emphasizing the point.

"Phones off, everyone."

.

Ms. Blake (she'd told us her name immediately after the cell phone speech) is in the middle of her lecture when I catch a glimpse of Allison's arm in my peripheral vision, holding a note in her hand. I quietly reach back and snag it in my hand, lifting it up so I can read it.

There are only three words written on the paper. _Can we talk?_

This invitation could go one of two ways: it could either be wonderful or terrible news. But I've never been the type to back away from something involving Allison. I pick up a pencil and, as quietly as possible, begin to write back _Yes_. Before I can hand the note back, though, another teacher walks into the room and says something quietly to Ms. Blake. She immediately halts her lecture, turns and looks directly at me.

"Mr. McCall?"

I look up. _Seriously?_ It's the first day, I couldn't possibly have gotten in trouble that quickly! Oh, what the hell. I stand up nervously and follow Ms. Blake out of the room. As I walk, I pass the desk where Matt is sitting. I glare at him out of the corner of my eye as I pass; he responds with a calm, friendly smile.

Ms. Blake turns to me as soon as we're out of the room. "Uh… I'm sure it's an emergency if your mother needs you to leave school, but I'm going to give you a warning in the nicest possible way. I'm well aware of your attendance record, and I don't want to see you slip back into old habits."

"I won't," I promise. That's one thing I'm certain of; I've worked way too hard this summer to lose it now. "It's going to be different this year."

"Resolutions are only good if you stick with them, Scott," Ms. Blake warns.

"I will," I say firmly. "I promise I won't be ephemeral." Well, how about that; I've managed to start using SAT words in my conversations! Now if I can find out what's going on with Mom, and figure out how the hell Matt's sitting in that classroom very much alive, I should be able to call this a good day.

.

_**Matt**_

If I didn't have to maintain my cover, I'd be laughing hysterically right now. The look on McCall's face when he saw me was absolutely priceless. I've been waiting for four months to see that reaction, and the shock and horror on his face was worth every day of exhaustion from my training with Jennifer.

I chuckle softly to myself, ignoring the others. As Jennifer walks back into the room, she catches my eye and gives me a stern look – obviously her "Stay quiet, don't give anything away" look. I smirk in reply and whisper under my breath, "Relax, I'm just having some fun," as she returns to the front of the room. Since there aren't any werewolves in the room, I know that Jennifer and I are the only ones who heard that.

"A bit too much fun, if you ask me," she whispers as she returns to her spot in front of the chalkboard and continues her lecture. I idly take down a few notes, spending most of my time focusing my senses on Allison, Stiles and Lydia, the only other people in this classroom that I'm remotely interested in.

"Hey, Lydia," Stiles whispers, obviously unaware that I can hear him. "What – what is that? Is that from the accident?" I glance idly back out of the corner of my eye, to see that he's pointing at a Band-Aid on Lydia's ankle.

I sigh to myself. _Boring_.

"No," she whispered back. "Prada bit me."

_Oh, great_, I think sardonically. _Now we're getting somewhere._

"Your dog?" Stiles asks.

I roll my eyes. _Idiot._

"No, my designer handbag," Lydia retorts.

I snort in amusement, but don't look back at them again. If I visibly pay attention to them, that could give me away. I doubt Stiles believes McCall, but he'll definitely be suspicious, so I need to avoid doing anything that might make it worse.

"Yes, my dog," Lydia says slowly.

"Has it ever bitten you before?"

_Oh my God, seriously?_ I think. _This guy has officially lost his mind. The habits of your crush's rat dog are what you're interested in when your werewolf best friend just told you that there's an undead serial killer sitting in the classroom with you?!_

Lydia shakes her head, and Stiles leans in closer, continuing. "Okay, what if it's like the same thing as the deer? You know, like how an animal starts acting weird before an earthquake or something?"

I narrow my eyes slightly. _Deer? Okay, seriously, what the _hell_ is he talking about?_

"Meaning what, there's going to be an earthquake?" Lydia asks skeptically.

"Or something! I just… maybe it means something's coming. Something bad."

I smirk to myself. _Oh, if you only knew, Stiles_.

"It was a deer and a dog," Lydia continues, still skeptical, but also thoughtful; she's thinking it over now. "What's that thing you say about trouble coming in threes? Once, twice–" She is interrupted by a loud thud, and I whip my head around to see that a crow has just slammed into the window and bounced off of it, leaving a smear of blood on the glass. Jennifer walks over to the window, looking out nervously; I focus on the sky outside, and realize that a huge flock of crows – dozens, maybe hundreds of them – are flying directly towards the building.

Towards _us._

My eyes widen, and I lurch to my feet along with half of the other students just as the first crows hit the windows. After only a few seconds, one of them smashes through the glass, and more quickly follow. The class is in total chaos.

"GET DOWN! GET DOWN, EVERYONE!" Jennifer screamed.

Everyone was hitting the floor, ducking wildly for cover. Stiles has flung himself on top of Lydia, shielding her. Allison has ducked under her desk, and Jennifer is crouched beside her own desk, covering several students and yelling at everyone to get down. That's when I realize that I've been standing there for about twenty seconds like an idiot, and I also dive for the floor. I hear a terrified scream, and realize that the girl who was sitting next to me is also still on her feet. Several crows have flown straight at her, and are currently pecking and scratching at her head.

That does it. I draw the line at standing by and watching people who haven't done anything to me get attacked by a bunch of crazed animals, especially since I'm fairly sure that Jennifer and I are responsible for this. I yell, disguising it as a yell of fear, and let my power blast outwards around me. I seize the crows around the girl with my mind and send them hurtling across the room like missiles, crashing into the wall.

I lunge forward, yelling "Get down!", and grab the girl, pulling her under a desk and shielding her protectively. I let some of my Darach power flow through me, and I know my eyes have lit up, glowing white as I draw on my hidden energy.

As I lash out with my mind, the crows start flying around the room faster and faster, uncontrollably as I pull at them with my telekinesis. I hurl them around the room, sending them smashing into the walls, the ceiling, the desks, and the windows, until all of them have been knocked out of the air.

I release my grip on my power after about thirty seconds and sigh as the energy subsides and my eyes fade from white to the brown of my second skin's eyes. Fortunately, no one was close enough to me to see my glowing eyes, or there would have been a serious problem to deal with. I release the girl and glance around the room, looking at the carnage I've unleashed. Dead crows are lying everywhere, strewn across the room like confetti along with papers and shattered glass. Jennifer and the other students are all getting to their feet, looking stunned.

I glance down and offer my hand, helping the girl to her feet. "Thank you," she says softly, giving me a faint smile and wiping a trickle of blood from a cut on her forehead with her jacket sleeve. For the first time, I actually see what she looks like; she has long, curly blonde hair, blue eyes and is very pale. "I could've gotten really hurt if you hadn't helped me."

I smile back. "No problem. It's the least I could do."

"Well, thanks," she says again, this time smiling fully. "I'm Lacey, by the way." She holds out a hand nervously.

I almost say _Matt_ as I shake her hand, but I manage to remember my cover identity in time. "I'm Michael. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," Lacey says with another soft smile.

Turning, I look to Jennifer, who is now standing up, surveying the wreckage of the classroom. Our eyes lock, and she nods meaningfully. Surprisingly, I see the trace of a smile on her face.

And then I realize why.

We'd been waiting for this. Jennifer had said a couple of months earlier that once our power got strong enough, it would start affecting the natural world around us; animals would start behaving oddly for no reason, even appearing to go insane. This incident was proof that our power had grown dramatically over the summer, enough that we were now affecting the world around us simply by being here.

I smile faintly. But then I look back at Lacey, who's now picking feathers out of her hair in a very businesslike way, and I don't feel as happy. We're hurting people now, Jennifer and I. We're doing it without even meaning to, but we're still doing it. And now we're going to start killing people. We'll be murdering fifteen innocent people, with families and friends, just to make ourselves stronger.

Then I reconsider, shaking myself mentally. _What are you doing, Matt? Stop thinking like a child. You're bigger than that now._

I nod slowly. _You're right._

I look around the room, realizing the importance of what's happened here. I did this. I tore this classroom apart, killed all of these crows – and I did it with my thoughts alone. Imagine what I could do at full power. Imagine what I'll be able to do after the sacrifices have been completed.

I smirk to myself, feeling the rush of power, of the thirst for vengeance, fill my veins.

But, as hard as I try, there's now a small amount of doubt in the back of my mind. A thought that what we're doing might not be right.

And as I look at Lacey, and see the pain that she just experienced as a result of my actions, I can't seem to make it go away.

**AN: And here we are at the end of another chapter! I tried to make this one longer than the last one, to make up for the shortness of it, and I should hopefully have the next chapter up soon.**

**To make it clear, Matt will be my primary narrator for this story, but I will be including narration by several other characters, such as Scott, Stiles or Isaac, when necessary, just to make sure I get the whole story.**

**Shoutouts to Monkeygonetoheaven, Pace1818 and Michael for reviewing! As always, I really appreciate the feedback, so thanks for your input!**

**Also, just so everyone knows, Lacey looks like Evanna Lynch, who plays Luna Lovegood in the **_**Harry Potter**_** movies. She won't be playing a very large role for now, but you'll be seeing a lot more of her later in the story. Hopefully, you all liked her character, and I'm going to enjoy revealing more about her.**

**In the next chapter, Matt and Jennifer discuss strategy, and our two Darachs finally commence the sacrifice ritual… let the carnage begin!**

**See you next time!**

**Review Q&A:**

**Q: This is amazing! Thank god someone is thinking out of the box here. No lame love triangles, no lovey dovey mushy typical drama. Just a well-written story with a strong plot. Great job. :]**

**A: Thanks! Always good to hear that someone enjoys my work. Yeah, I'm not going to be doing much romantic stuff in this story; there will probably be some romance further along in the plot (won't say who yet, of course), but for the most part it won't be a focus. I much prefer writing action and mystery-type scenes, so that's what I'll be focusing on.**

**Q: Love this dynamic duo, I feel like there could be some gold comedic moments. Because Jennifer is a sage Darach while Matt is just a teenager haha. The Q & A was charming. I don't think your story is slow, I actually like the pacing. Love it so much! Keep up the good work.**

**A: Yeah, the relationship between Matt and Jennifer is very fun to write, because it's so entertaining to have their personalities playing off each other and clashing. There will definitely be plenty of comedy around their interactions as the story goes on.**

**Q: I love me some Jeremy Gilbert, but c'mon he's way more ripped than the guy who played Matt on Teen Wolf.**

**A: When you're comparing Jeremy with Matt as he was during Season 2, yeah, I agree with you. However, Matt's resurrection as a Darach and his training with Jennifer has increased his physique by quite a lot. He's a lot stronger than he was before, and a lot more muscular as a result. He states in Chapter 3 that he "looks like he's wearing body armor under his skin", and Scott actually notices how different he looks now in this chapter, so that basically explains it.**

**Q: I am quite intrigued with this and I can't wait to see where it goes. And will Matt rekindle his friendship with Isaac? The series left me curious since they never gave us any Matt and Isaac flashbacks.**

**A: No, they did not give us any flashbacks of the two of them… which means that it's never been shown exactly how close they were. As for whether they'll rekindle their friendship here? Well, we'll have to wait and see.**

**Q: Aww man you stop right in the good part! Lol I wonder what their reactions will be. And most importantly Isaac's reaction, I mean the two were friends before Matt went all dark.**

**A: Well, the fact that you pointed this out means it's working, so thanks! :) Yes, they were friends before Matt turned evil… but we'll have to wait to find out Isaac's reaction, since he's currently still in the hospital after his run-in with the Alphas. We did get to see reactions from Scott and Stiles in this chapter, though, so that makes up for it.**

**Q: I'm in heaven, I love this story.**

**A: Thank you for the compliment, it's always nice to know that people enjoy my stories. :)**


	5. Chapter 5: Second Sight

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf.**

**Chapter 5 – Second Sight**

.

_**Matt**_

Jennifer and I are sitting in our apartment, discussing the plans for the first sacrifice.

"Okay, let me get this straight," I say, leaning forward from the couch I'm sitting on. "You want me to find out which of these kids are virgins, and then let you know so you can snatch one of them?"

"Basically, yes," Jennifer replies.

I sigh. "And how exactly am I supposed to know which of them are virgins, Jennifer? In case you haven't noticed, they don't exactly advertise it. It's not like people walk around with a label on their backs saying 'Virgin' in big letters. How am I supposed to tell?"

"You'll be able to tell," Jennifer explains. "It's part of being a Darach; when you're looking for someone, an individual or a certain type of person, they seem obvious. It's like a glow, an aura around them, that won't be present on anyone else. I call it second sight."

"Interesting," I say softly. "How do I use it?"

"Just focus on a person, or a group of people, and try to see past the exterior, to the inner being, the spirit. Think about who you're looking for, and focus on that thought, that need. The people you're seeking, the ones we can use for the sacrifice, will stand out like they're lit up, glowing. I'd suggest only using that if you have to, though. It requires some power, so when you use it…" She looks at me, and her eyes light up, glowing white. She indicates her glowing eyes. "This will happen."

"Got it." I consider. "So should I wear sunglasses when I'm using it, or something?"

"Just make sure no one's looking at you," Jennifer says. Her eyes narrow. "And must you make a joke out of _everything_?"

I grin. "Apparently, yes, I must. So where do we go to find some virgins?"

"I overheard a couple of students in my fifth-period class talking about a party tomorrow night," Jennifer says. "There'll be lots of people, and most of them will be drinking; we should start there."

I consider this for a moment, then nod. "All right, what do I do?"

"Go to the party and blend in. Use your illusion, stay hidden, and inspect as many of the students as you can with your second sight, focusing on finding virgins. See if you can find three who register as virgins, find out as much about them as you can, and then text me with the details about them. I'll take it from there."

I smile faintly, examining the apple I'm holding in my right hand. "Sounds good. Let's party."

.

_**Scott**_

Stiles and I are walking down the street, towards the party Stiles' friend invited us to. Personally, I don't think it's a good idea to be going to a party with what happened to Isaac this week, but Stiles is still trying to get over Lydia, and as his best friend, I have to do my best to help him get over it.

But that doesn't mean I have to like it.

"What?" Stiles asks, his voice annoyed.

"What? What do you mean, 'what'?" I ask.

"I mean 'what?'! And you know what!" he exclaims.

"What 'what'?"

"That look you were giving."

I sigh. _Well, this conversation isn't going anywhere quickly._

"I didn't give a look," I defend.

"There was a distinct look, Scott," Stiles says matter-of-factly.

"What look?!" I ask; I'm getting pretty frustrated by this point.

"The look that says the last thing you feel like doing right now is going to a party."

"It's not that," I argue. "It just seems a little weird going to a different high school's party."

"Look, one drink, all right? You'll be fine. It's Heather; we went to nursery school with this girl, okay? She promised to introduce us to all of her friends, so tonight no Allison, no Lydia..."

My phone vibrates in my pocket and I take it out. _Allison._

"Tonight, we're moving on!" Stiles continues excitedly.

I consider for a moment, and then ignore the call. Stiles is right. I need to spend some time not thinking about Allison, and this is the best way to do it.

"You're right," I say reluctantly.

"That's right, I'm right!"

"We're moving on."

"Onward and upward!"

I find myself actually getting enthusiastic. "Let's do this!"

"That's what I'm talking about!" We high-five.

Then, of course, I get nervous again. "How does my breath smell?" I ask.

"Dude, I'm not smelling your breath."

"Do you have any gum?"

"No gum, you're fine," Stiles says as I follow him up the stairs and into the house.

.

_**Matt**_

I basically crashed the party, slipping in unnoticed among a large group of people earlier in the evening. Wearing my second skin, I'm able to move through the party without attracting much attention; since "Michael Daniels" is new at my school, and this is a different school, very few people know who I am. However, a combination of my second skin's overall appearance and the outfit I've chosen – all black, with a black T-shirt, a black leather jacket, black jeans, and black leather shoes – I'm drawing some attention from the girls at the party, and I've heard a significant amount of gossip about "the hot new guy" while I've been here. While that's amusing for me, I don't stop to consider any of them; I'm on a mission here, and there's no time to enjoy myself until after it's done.

I've already been at the party for an hour, and in that time I've made good use of my second sight ability. I've already counted at least a dozen people who are glowing with the white aura that marks them as the people I want to find; in this case, virgins.

Three in particular have caught my attention; a guy sitting in the corner by himself, who I can see is wearing a purity ring; a girl sitting on a couch, cuddling with another girl in a way that leaves no doubt that they're a couple; and the girl hosting the party, a stunning blonde – named Heather, apparently – with shoulder-length, curly hair and blue eyes.

Hmmm. What to do, what to do?

I've already taken candid photos of all three of them, using the camera in the new iPhone that Jennifer bought for me. I thanked her profusely for that, since my old cell phone got fried when Gerard dumped me in the lake. If there's one thing I'm good at, it's taking pictures of people without anyone noticing. I've been able to take an easily recognizable picture of the guy with the purity ring, the lesbian girl, and the blonde, so I can send their pictures to Jennifer later. But we're supposed to start actually making the sacrifices tonight, if at all possible, so I need to figure out how to get one of these three targets out of the house without anyone noticing.

For now, I decide to focus on the first target; the blonde girl, Heather. I wait in the doorway to the dining room, casually leaning against the wall in a position where I can see her. The girl's in the front room, chatting animatedly with one of her friends. I narrow my eyes, reaching out with my superhuman hearing to pick up what they're saying.

"…You know your first time isn't gonna be romantic, right? It's sort of gross and it kinda hurts," the other girl is saying.

"Yeah, I know," Heather says. "But I really don't care. Trust me, I'm ready for this."

The other girl smiles. "You don't want to wait for 'the one', huh?"

Heather smirks. "When I find 'the one', I want to be good at it." They both laugh.

I frown. This isn't good; this girl is obviously planning to find some guy and lose her virginity tonight. Which means that she won't be suitable for the sacrifice any more.

_Well, damn. What do I do about this?_

The obvious answer, of course, is to go find another virgin to replace her in the set, but I've never been one to give up that easily. I just have to wait until she's by herself. Even if I have to knock whatever guy she's with unconscious before they can have sex, that's still a fairly good plan.

I glance back towards Heather, just in time to hear her friend say, "So, which guy? Do you have someone in mind?"

Heather grins teasingly. "Oh, yeah. Absolutely."

And then the front door opens, and two of the people I was least hoping to see at this party walk into the room.

Scott and Stiles.

_Just freaking perfect_, I think sarcastically.

That's when Heather calls out "Stiles, hi!" in a loud, happy voice, hurries forward, throws her arms around Stiles and kisses him full on the lips.

I find myself rendered speechless for a moment. Then an idea enters my mind and I narrow my eyes to slits, knowing that they're glowing white as I activate my second sight. I see the four people there; Scott and Heather's friend are normal, but both Stiles and Heather are surrounded by the white aura that marks them as virgins.

_Well, what do you know?_ I think. I almost laugh, but restrain myself considering the circumstances.

Scott looks like someone just hit him over the head with a crowbar; clearly he hadn't expecting this any more than I had.

"I'm glad you made it," the blonde says, ignoring Scott completely.

"Me too," Stiles replies, looking stunned.

"Come downstairs with me and help me pick out a bottle of wine."

"Yes."

And just like that, they're gone, Stiles following the girl out of the room like a puppy.

Scott walks over to Heather's friend; apparently, he thought he might have the same luck that Stiles did. "Hey," he says.

The girl gives him a once-over and walks out of the room without a backward glance.

"Well, that went well," I mutter sarcastically under my breath.

Suddenly, Scott's head snaps up, his eyes wide, and he looks hurriedly around the room.

Oh, right. I hadn't realized he could hear me.

I casually turn and walk away into the mass of partygoers, disappearing before he can see me.

As I walk, I take my phone out and quickly send a text to Jennifer. It's fairly simple; the picture I took of Heather, coupled with a brief sentence: _Virgin Number One. She's in the basement. Better hurry; she's planning to get lucky tonight, so you need to get to her first. Can't get her myself. Too many people._

Jennifer replies immediately. _Got it. Have fun. See if you can find two others before the party ends._

I smirk as I reply. _Will do._

"Michael?"

My head snaps up when I hear my fake name. A girl with long, curly blonde hair is standing in front of me. To my surprise, I recognize her; it's Lacey, the girl from Jennifer's English class who I met during the crow incident. She's wearing a white dress that brings out her blue eyes and goes very well with her pale skin and light blonde hair.

I smile, shaking her hand. "Hey, Lacey! Good to see you."

"It's good to see you too," she says softly, a faint tinge of pink coming to her cheeks as she ducks her head nervously and flashes a shy smile at me from under her eyelashes. My smile grows at her words, and as I realize that she's nervous around me. Well, that makes perfect sense. To be honest, she should be. I'm not human, I'm a Darach, and I shouldn't be acting like I'm a normal high school student. Not anymore.

So why am I suddenly so intrigued by her? And why did I make the effort to protect her when those crows were attacking her?

Honestly, I don't know. But I have every intention of finding out.

_Ah, what the hell,_ I think, and take the plunge. I smile back at her – a real smile, not a false one or the cold smirk that's rapidly becoming my trademark – and speak in a gentle, pleasant voice. "Are you doing okay? I mean, after the whole bird incident, you were bleeding… are you feeling better?"

She nods, smiling. "Yeah, I'm much better now, thanks. It wasn't anything serious, just some scratches and cuts. I'll be good as new in a couple of days." She brushes back her hair to show me several small Band-Aids on her head and neck. "They're mostly healed already, but the doctors said I have to keep these on until the cuts are completely gone. So I just tried to hide them."

I grin, chuckling. "Well, I personally think you look beautiful tonight."

She blushes and looks down at the ground, smiling. "Thanks," she says shyly. "You look very handsome."

I blink, looking down at myself. Of all the words that could be used to describe my outfit, "handsome" wasn't one I would've come up with, mainly because it's all black, and I probably look like a motorcycle gang member from the 1960s minus the greased hair. But maybe Lacey just has a different vocabulary than I do.

"Thanks, that's really sweet." I smile, and Lacey blushes again.

I'm not sure why I do this, but I smile at Lacey, and, despite everything else that's going on right now, I decide that the party can wait. This is the first time in four months that I've gotten the chance to actually have a conversation with anyone other than Jennifer, and I'm not letting it slip away.

I look Lacey right in the eye, smile in a friendly way, and ask, "Would you like to get something to drink? I think there's a table with soda and water around here somewhere."

She smiles. "Yes, thanks. I'd like that."

"Me too." I lead Lacey off towards the drinks table, muttering to myself under my breath, "Me too."

**AN: And here we are again! Once again, I really appreciate everyone for reading this story, I really appreciate it.**

**Shoutouts to Pace1818 and Monkeygonetoheaven for reviewing, I really appreciate the input! :)**

**As always, I really appreciate reviews, so if any of you have any questions or comments about this chapter or the story as a whole, please review. (No hate, please).**

**In the next chapter, Scott and the other werewolves search for Boyd and Cora, the Darachs continue their virgin killing spree, and Matt continues his interactions with Lacey. Can't wait to see what you all think!**

**See you next time!**

**Review Q&A:**

**Q: I love this new confidence that Matt is showing, he has evolved into a strong person. I guess that's what happens when you get murdered. I enjoyed how Matt subtly toyed with Scott. **

**And Scott is still obsessed with Allison I see. He should take a few notes from Matt's book and get over her already lol.**

**And I take it that Lacey will play a huge part in Matt's journey? I sensed a connection between the two. Which can't be good. A. There's Jennifer. B. There's Scott who might use her. C. There's the Alpha Pack.**

**I liked the little Danny cameo. He always attracts the bad guys, Ethan (who I grew to adore) and Matt lol.**

**A: Yeah, Matt is a much stronger person now than he was before his death and resurrection. Part of that is because, since he's a Darach now, he's not the same guy he was when he died by any means; he's much more powerful, but also more sound, since he's no longer driven by the whole crazed vengeance thing anymore; he's become able to finally put that behind him and move on, so he's a much stronger character at this point.**

**And yes, Scott is still obsessed with Allison. Probably not the best plan on his part.**

**As for Lacey… the short answer is yes, she will be very important in the future of the story, especially through her developing relationship with Matt. But you're right, that relationship already has the odds stacked against it. I will say that the relationship between Lacey and Matt may not end happily for one of them.**

**And thanks, I was hoping that people would like the Danny cameo. I needed someone to test Matt's new second skin on, and he was the first person I thought of. :)**

**Q: Aw thanks for the shoutout! Loved this chapter so much! I feel so bad for Scott, he's going to go insane for a little while haha. I love what a jerk you made Matt, talking about how above Allison he is, how she's nothing more than an insect. But of course when things get chaotic you see a nicer side of him, I hope he has a constant battle of morals, we get to see a more "human" side of him that way. Do you have an actor you want to play Michael? I would love to know, for some reason I picture him as the guy who plays Stefan Salvatore (must be the leather outfit getup). Anyways keep up the good work, and update soon!**

**A: Well, you're welcome. :) Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Yeah, Scott's going to be a bit frazzled over the whole Matt thing for a while, definitely.**

**And Matt will definitely have a conflict of morals that'll be one of the major themes throughout this story; is he evil, in the same mold as Jennifer, or could he become a good person? We'll be addressing that theme multiple times over the course of the story.**

**Hmmm… well, I've always imagined Michael Daniels, the alias of Matt's second skin, as looking like Steven R. McQueen, the guy who plays Jeremy Gilbert on **_**The Vampire Diaries.**_** I'm definitely a fan of Stefan, too, but for some reason I just see "Michael" as looking more like Jeremy.**

**Thanks, I'll update as soon as I can! :)**


	6. Chapter 6: Realization

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf.**

**Chapter 6 – Realization**

.

_**Scott**_

"Okay, what would a pack of Alphas want with Erica and Boyd?" Stiles asks as we walk down the hallway, headed towards our economics class. We'd just finished a meeting with Allison, Lydia and Derek, which had gone about as badly as one might expect.

"I'm not sure it's them they want," I admit. Then I stop in my tracks, looking around as I feel a chill run down my spine; the telltale sensation of another werewolf, close by.

"Okay, like Derek? Like they're recruiting?"

I'm not listening, scanning the hallway in search of the source. I don't see anything, but the sensation is strong enough that I know the other werewolf was here just a few seconds ago.

"Scott!" Stiles yells. I turn back to face him; he's looking at me expectantly. "You coming?"

I nod and follow him down the hallway.

.

As Stiles and I walk into Economics class, I look around the room and immediately flinch.

Matt, with his usual mocking grin on his face, is sitting in the seat right next to mine.

I'm seriously starting to wonder if I'm going crazy; lately I've been seeing him in several different places, even at the party last night when I heard his voice. But every time I see him and point him out to Stiles, all he sees is another guy, with tousled dark hair and tan skin. For the life of me, I can't figure out what's going on.

I sit down reluctantly, with Stiles on my right and Matt on my left, and fidget uncomfortably for a few seconds before I look to my left out of the corner of my eye. Matt appears to be ignoring me, looking up at the front of the classroom. Then he glances over and sees me watching him. He grins, appearing totally at ease, and winks at me, before turning around as Coach Finstock walks into the room.

"All right, everyone, listen up!" Coach calls, writing something on the board. "Today we'll be discussing the stock market." He finishes writing and sits down behind his desk, chewing a piece of gum while he glances around the room. "Now, the stock market is based on two principles. What are they?"

_Yes!_ I think. _I know this!_ I'd known those classes I took over the summer would prove helpful. I raise my hand.

"Yes, McCall, you can go to the bathroom. Anybody else?" Coach says dismissively.

"N-no, Coach, I know the answer," I say.

Coach, as I expected, bursts out laughing. I can't really blame him, considering how badly I did in his class last year, but it's still rude.

"Oh, you're serious," he says, realizing that I'm not laughing.

"Yes, risk and reward," I reply.

Coach grins in surprise, walking over to me. "Wow! Who are you and what have you done with McCall?" He laughs. "Don't answer that. I like you better." He claps me on the shoulder and returns to the front. "Now, does anybody have a quarter?"

Stiles fumbles through his bag, pulling out a quarter, and a foil packet with XXL marked on it – which I immediately recognize as a condom from the party last night – falls out onto the floor. I mentally sigh and clamp a hand over my forehead.

"Uh, Stilinski, I think you dropped this," Coach says, picking the condom packet up and handing it back to Stiles, who hands him the quarter. "And congratulations," Coach continues, walking back to his desk.

_Oh, god,_ I think.

.

_**Matt**_

I feel great; the party last night was the most fun I've had in a long time. I've never really had an experience like that, where I could completely relax around someone. Lacey and I had spent the entire rest of the party talking; not about anything important, just about whatever came to mind. She'd told me about herself, and from my perspective, she's something of a contradiction. Academically, Lacey is superb. She's second only to Lydia Martin in terms of academic excellence: straight A's, president of a club she created to tutor students who are having problems with their schoolwork, and all-around a stellar student. But socially, she's the opposite: shy, uncomfortable in social settings like dances or parties, and usually not the type to engage in long conversations with people. I can tell that that last one is often a problem for her, but for some reason, it hasn't applied to me in the slightest. Not that I mind that.

"Okay, risk and reward!" Coach says, resuming the lesson. He takes a coffee cup from his desk and holds it up. "Put the quarter in the mug, win the reward." Setting down the mug on the floor, he backs several feet away and holds up the quarter Stiles gave him in his right hand. "Okay, watch Coach." He tosses the quarter in a calculated arc; it bounces once on the floor and lands directly in the mug.

The students all applauded. I smirked; only Coach Finstock would think of using a drinking game to help us learn about economics.

"That's how you do it!" Coach called out, removing the quarter from the mug and tossing it to Danny. "Okay, Danny, risk or reward?"

"What's the reward?" Danny asked, turning the coin over in his hand.

"You don't have to take the pop quiz tomorrow."

"Coach, it's not a pop quiz if you tell us about it," Danny pointed out.

"Danny, you know I really expect more from you at this point," Coach says, taking the quarter back. "Really."

He walks over until he's standing next to me and places the coin on Scott's desk.

"Okay, McCall. Risk? Reward? The risk; if you don't get that quarter in the mug you have to take the pop – the _quiz_, and you have to write an essay. Risk, more work. Reward…" he blows on his hand. "No work at all. Or, choose not to play."

"But isn't this just chance?" Scott asks.

"No," Coach replies. "You know your abilities, your coordination, your focus, past experience, all factors affecting the outcome. So what's it gonna be, McCall? More work, no work, or choose not to play?"

Scott studies the quarter for a moment, then sets it down on the desk.

"No play. Okay, who's next? Who wants the quarter?" Coach asks, looking around. Stiles drums on his desk and I roll my eyes and chuckle softly. _Idiot._

"There you go, there's a gambling man. Come on, step up, all right, Stilinski!" Just as Stiles walks over and gets into position, the door opens and I see the Sheriff walk in.

"Stiles," he says.

"Yeah, Coach, I got it," Stiles replies, too focused on the coffee mug to notice. Then he looks up and sees his dad in the doorway.

"Stiles, I'm going to need you to come with me," Sheriff Stilinski says, leading Stiles outside. I smirk faintly to myself; I don't need to bother listening in, because I know exactly what this is about. Obviously, the police have realized that Heather, the girl from the party, is missing. Last night went off without a hitch; Jennifer snatched her out of the basement while Stiles was upstairs looking for condoms. I was also able to confirm the pictures I'd taken of the other two virgins, and sent those on to Jennifer as well, along with information I'd overheard that would be helpful: the guy with the purity ring works as a lifeguard after school, and the lesbian girl is planning to go out camping tonight with her girlfriend.

"Yes! Reward!" Coach yells, drawing my attention back to the activities in the room; Danny has just skillfully bounced the quarter into the cup. "Who else?" Coach asks, retrieving the quarter from the mug and looking around the room. "Greenberg, put your hand down, you don't have a chance."

I consider for a moment, then raise my hand. Coach grins, looking at me. "All right, uh…" He looks confused for a moment. "Sorry, what was your name again?"

"Uh, it's Michael, sir. Michael Daniels."

Coach nods. "All right, then. Daniels! Let's see what you've got."

_Piece of cake._ I smile, nod respectfully to Coach, then take the quarter from him and walk up to the front. I line up to throw, focusing on the mug, then pause and glance back. Lacey is watching me with a vaguely nervous expression on her face; she's obviously worried that I'm about to miss and that I'll have to do the essay as well as the quiz. I smile reassuringly, turn back to face the front, and channel a very small amount of my Darach energy as I toss the quarter.

It bounces once on the floor, then neatly clinks off of the rim of the mug and rattles securely into it.

"All right, Daniels!" Coach shouts. "Reward!" He claps me on the back; I grin and walk back to my seat, the class applauding. I would probably have landed that quarter in the mug even without using my telekinesis to confirm it, but I wanted to make sure. Lacey is smiling brightly as I sit down next to her.

"You were worried, weren't you?" I ask, smirking.

Lacey blushes slightly, then smiles back at me, now with a cheeky edge to her grin. "Never hurts to worry when boys think they can do anything," she teases.

I laugh at that, leaning closer to her. "Think you can do better, Miss Lacey?"

She grins back at me. "Maybe."

"Then why don't you try it?" I challenge, leaning back.

Lacey seems nervous for a moment. "Well, um… I guess–"

"Come on, you and I both know you'll ace whatever assignment you get whether you do it or not," I reply, grinning. "But wouldn't you rather not have anything to do at all?"

Lacey considers for a moment, and then nods. "All right," she says with a soft smile. "Why not?"

"All right, anyone else?" Coach calls. Lacey hesitates, then raises her hand. Coach grins when he sees her. "All right, Evans, let's see what you've got!"

Lacey walks up to the front nervously, taking the quarter from Coach. I focus my mental energy, preparing to catch the quarter telekinetically if she's about to miss – I don't want her to have to do extra work because I talked her into trying the game.

Just out of idle curiosity, I narrow my eyes and activate my second sight, thinking _Virgins_ as I do. I see the classroom with shades of gray cast over everything, those who fit the desired category glowing white. And, to my surprise, Lacey is illuminated with the white aura that marks a virgin.

My eyes widen. _Really?_

Enough is enough. I blink, and the second sight is gone. I return my attention to the game at hand.

Lacey focuses on the mug, narrowing her eyes in concentration, and then tosses the quarter. Without any help from me, it skips once on the floor, bounces in a high arc, and then lands with a single loud _clink_ directly into the mug.

A perfect shot.

Coach cheers, and the class applaud again, me loudest of all. "Nice work, Evans! Very nice!" Coach says, patting Lacey on the shoulder. She smiles hesitantly, and then the smile widens as she looks in my direction. I grin back, clapping for her, and for the first time in a long time, I feel happy about someone else's accomplishment. It's a good feeling.

Lacey sits down beside me, and I smile at her. "Great job! I said you could do it, didn't I? See how easy that was?"

She smiles back at me. "Yeah, I was expecting it to be more difficult." A smile crosses her face. "Ah, well. There's another life event crossed off my long list; I have now played a drinking game and won."

I chuckle. "You have a list of life events?"

"Of course," Lacey says simply. "Doesn't everyone? Now, I don't keep it written down," she adds, tapping herself on the forehead. "I keep it all up here." She grins.

"Well, considering how big your brain must be to be so smart, there's definitely plenty of room," I laugh, winking at her. She slaps me playfully on the shoulder, and we both break out laughing.

"Hey! Daniels, Evans!" Coach yells, causing us to turn quickly back to face the front. "Can you two keep it down?" he asks exasperatedly.

"Yeah, sorry, Coach," I say. He nods, turning back to the full class and holding up the quarter. "Okay! Who's next?"

As the class continues, Lacey and I both face front. After a few seconds, I glance over and see her glancing back at me. When she realizes I've seen her looking at me, she immediately blushes and turns back to face Coach as his next subject gets up and walks up to the front. I do so as well, but even as I turn my attention back to the lesson, I can't stop smiling.

And even though I know that this is a really bad idea, that I'm a Darach and I'm here to kill people, not make friends, or… whatever I feel about Lacey… I also know that there's a part of me that doesn't want to stop smiling. That doesn't want to stop looking at Lacey.

And that scares me more than anything I've experienced since Jennifer resurrected me. Because physical threats I can deal with easily now. Emotional threats… well, there haven't been any up until now. But somehow, I feel something for Lacey. Something real.

And for the life of me, I can't get that feeling out of my mind.

The really scary part, though, is that I don't want to.

**AN: And here we are again. Sorry it's taken me so long to update, but I've been extremely busy with college applications, schoolwork and the like. My apologies, hopefully it won't take as long for me to finish the next chapter.**

**This chapter was basically meant to flesh out the situation with Matt and Lacey, get a grasp on their relationship, and lay down some things for the road ahead, the biggest of which was Matt finally acknowledging how he feels about her. Obviously, this scares him, because he's never felt anything like this before except with Allison, and look how well **_**that**_** ended. Plus, he's a Darach now, and his job is basically to help Jennifer kill people; he doesn't really have time for a potential relationship, which makes the situation that much worse for him.**

**Major shoutouts to Pace1818 and Monkeygonetoheaven, who have reviewed basically every chapter I've posted and have really gone in-depth with their questions and feedback. You guys are awesome! :-)**

**Once again, I tremendously appreciate reviews and feedback, so if anyone has any questions or comments regarding this chapter or the story as a whole, please review! (No hate, please).**

**Next chapter, Scott, Derek and Allison pay a visit to the bank, and Matt finds himself drawn into the chaos that develops… stay tuned!**

**Review Q&A:**

**Q: Another great chapter. I'm really liking the interactions between Matt and Lacey. He seems to be almost normal, just a simple teenager with her. For a few moments. It's kind of nice.**

**Thanks for the shoutout :)**

**A: Thanks, as always. :-)**

**Yeah, Matt's interactions with Lacey are very fun for me to write; Matt's a pretty one-dimensional character in the series, so I've tried to make him more complex as a person, and Lacey is the one thing that brings out his good side, makes him more human. (On the other hand, Jennifer doesn't really have anyone like that, so she's less human, more Darach; she does have an emotional connection and mutual attraction with Derek, but that was mostly created by the need to get him on her side against the Alphas). It'll be interesting to see how their relationship develops from here.**

**And you're welcome; I always appreciate reviews, so I always try to thank those who leave them for me. :-)**

**Q: Thanks for taking the time to actually answer my questions, that's very sweet of you.**

**Love this chapter, Matt had me smiling like an idiot, I think it would be interesting if Lacey is a virgin and Jennifer wants her as a sacrifice, that would just throw a wrench in the machine wouldn't it?**

**Somehow you found a way to make a dark story cute (in a good way). I can't wait to read more from you :]**

**A: Awww, thanks for the compliment. :-) Well, you're welcome. I'm always glad to answer any questions my readers might have about my stories.**

**Yeah, Matt definitely seems to get much more happy when he's with Lacey. If the last chapter had you smiling like an idiot, though, I'd love to know how what effect this one had. ;-)**

**Regarding the possibility of Lacey being a virgin and Jennifer wanting her as a sacrifice… yes, that would certainly throw a wrench in the machine. As we see in this chapter, though, Lacey is indeed a virgin, but Jennifer and Matt already have three virgin sacrifices selected, so she's safe. However… well, I'm not going to reveal anything, but I did leave a hint in this chapter that will eventually answer the question of whether Lacey will be targeted. If anyone reading this thinks they know what the hint is, please feel free to leave a review guessing.**

**And if you really enjoy my work, I encourage you to check out my profile; I'm writing several other Teen Wolf stories. There are five of them, including **_**The Darach's Apprentice**_**, and two others I haven't posted yet. The ones I've posted, apart from this one, are all crossover stories. One, called **_**Dark Destiny**_**, is a crossover between **_**Teen Wolf**_** and **_**The Vampire Diaries**_**. Another, called **_**Shadow of the Moon**_**, is a crossover between **_**Teen Wolf**_** and a book series called **_**Lorien Legacies**_**. A third, called **_**Angels in the Shadows**_**, is a crossover with **_**Doctor Who**_** and features the Weeping Angels coming to Beacon Hills. And the fourth, **_**Beacon Point**_**, is a crossover between **_**Teen Wolf**_** and a television series called **_**That 70's Show**_**, which chronicles Peter Hale's last two years of high school in the town of Point Place, Wisconsin, where he lived with his older brother Nathan (an OC I created for the story); it describes how Peter started down the path that led to his becoming the man he is today.**

**If you like this story, I encourage you to try them out; they're all in the early stages, but if I can get them all written, they should become fantastic stories by the time I'm finished. Feel free to check them out, and please let me know what you think! :-)**


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